


From Strangers to Lovers

by CecilWolford



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 18:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9503846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CecilWolford/pseuds/CecilWolford
Summary: Jedediah never expected to fall for the stranger he met that afternoon in New York, he also never expected to see him again in his hometown nearly two months later.





	1. Meeting Him

It was a rainy afternoon in New York city and Jedediah Smith could finally accept the fact that he was undeniably lost. He didn't want to be there in the first place, but he had an interview with a mechanic for a part-time job to keep him going until he got enough to get back to his hometown.

Plus, his father had said that it would be good for him to get  _out there._ Whether he meant  _out there_ as getting himself a paying job, or getting himself a girlfriend, he wasn't sure. But he  _was_ sure of one thing: he was never going back to New York after this again.

With a sigh, Jedediah looked around for some place to head into to ask for directions or charge his phone, which had died nearly twenty minutes ago.  
Looking into most of the places around him, Jed noticed that they were full of  _fancy_ people who sneered at every 'under dressed' person who walked by. Not having many other choices, Jed selected a fairly small cafe across the street that seemed to be fairly normal.

He waited until traffic had stopped before quickly making his way to the other side of the street to the cafe. Once he was close enough, he could see that nobody inside the cafe was dressed up like they had somewhere to be, but they still looked  _nice._

Nicer than me _..._ Jed thought as he glanced at his own outfit: a blue button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, an old pair of faded blue jeans, work boots that he had used on the farm, and to top it all off was his signature cowboy hat.

Pushing back his anxiety that was slowly creeping up on him, Jed stepped into the shop, removing his hat as he did. It seemed like they were close to closing time and there were two or three small groups sitting in booths and two others sitting at tables near the cafe window.

"Yoo hoo, over here!" Jed turned to face the direction the voice was coming from and was happily surprised when he saw the familiar face of his old friend, Ahkmenrah.

"Boy, what in the world are you doin' here? I thought you were a guide in some huge museum?"

Ahk grinned as he leaned slightly forward over the counter and rested his arms on the marble top. "Oh, I am. This is just a thing I do on weekends."

A voice piped up. "And Tuesdays!"

"Yes, and Tuesdays! Thank you, Nicky." Ahk turned his attention back to the blonde in front of him. "So, what brings you to New York?"

"Business."

"Really?"

Jed grinned. "Yup; got myself an interview with a mechanic this afternoon."

"You mean, right now?"

Jed forced his smile to stay and nodded his head; Ahk wasn't impressed. He looked around the cafe before spotting the very man he was looking for.

"Just one moment... Hey, Oct! Could you come over here?"

There was a small groan before the sound of a laptop being shut and a chair being moved back.

"Oh no, Ahk, you ain't gotta-"

"Nonsense! If anyone knows New York, it's Octavius; he can give you directions better than any piece of paper." He glanced at the paper in Jed's hand.

The blonde quickly crumpled the paper up and shoved it in his pants pocket, making Ahk snicker.

"All right, Ahkmenrah, what is it now?"

Jed looked over his shoulder to where the voice had come from and saw a nicely dressed man removing his glasses standing behind him. Jed was nearly at a loss for words when he looked into those dark brown eyes and he sharply inhaled as he tried to get the air back in his lungs.

"Octavius, I would like you to meet my good friend, Jedediah Smith. Jedediah, this is my old college teacher, Gaius Octavius."

"Don't say "old" like that, Ahkmenrah. I'm still in my twenties."

Ahk grinned. "And still going strong!"

"Hmm... So, what do you need me for?"

"My friend here is a bit lost and he's late for an interview. I was hoping that you could give him some directions to where he needs to go."

Octavius turned to face Jedediah who was nervously looking down at the black and white tiled floor. "Well, where do you need to get to?"

Jed blinked a few times as he came out of his slight stupor. "Uh, W-Wicker's."

"The auto shop?"

Jed nodded his head.

"That's down on Belminster Ave., you're on Warkdale Ave."

"H-How far is Belminster?"

Octavius clicked his tongue and thought a moment before replying. "Ten blocks down then turn left and go four more blocks."

"Thank y-"

"You're not from around here."

"N-No, I'm not. I'm from the country."

Octavius raised his eyebrows and a small smile graced his features. "Really? Where?"

"Way far out in North Carolina. It's me and my family on our farm."

Ahk cleared his throat. "Jed, aren't you late?"

"Oh, shoot! Um, oh, man, I-I'm sorry. I'd like to talk more, but-"

"No, I get it. Just remember my directions and you'll be fine. Also..." Octavius pulled a small card out of his pocket and held it out to Jed. "Here's my contact information if you need anything else."

Jed hesitantly took the card and slid it into his pocket. "Thanks. I should get going now; it was nice meeting you. And it was nice to see you again, Ahk!"

Ahk waved at Jed as he quickly walked out of the cafe and disappeared around the corner.

Octavius thought that was the last time he would ever see the blonde cowboy but goddamn, he didn't even know how wrong he was.


	2. Home Sweet Home

It had been nearly two months since that rainy afternoon in New York, and Jedediah was back in his hometown on his family's farm.

There were so many good things about being back home; the harvest, family time, the town fair, etc. But Jed's favorite part was always the animals.

His family's farm had a wide range of cattle and pigs, but he was more interested in the horses that the farm had to offer. Each family member had their own horse, even Jed's little niece, Hannah, who was just just four months shy of her tenth birthday.

It was usually very sunny out, but today, it was storming and the rain was relentless, so Jed and the others were all forced to stay inside, despite Jed's protests to go outside and lock up the barn.

"Now, Jedediah, you know we can't let you do that. No matter how old you get, you will always be the baby of the family."

"But Ma-"

Jed's older brother Michael snickered as he walked by. "Yeah,  _baby_ brother." He suddenly had Jed in a headlock and ruffled his already shaggy blonde hair.

"Aw man, Mike, cut it out!"

"Michael! Leave your brother alone!"

"Yes, Mama." Michael released Jed who quickly ran to the other side of the kitchen. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Jeddy, I was jus' playin'."

Jed huffed and fixed his hair before walking out of the kitchen and into the living room where his older sister Shannon was sitting.

She looked up from her book when she heard him walk in and flicked the ash off of the end of her cigarette. "So, how's it goin' with that New York guy?"

"You know Mama doesn't like it when you smoke inside."

"Yeah, and she also don't like it when you wear your boots on her white carpet; now spill."

Jed sighed and slumped on the couch. "Spill what? There's nothing going on."

"Jedediah Smith, that is hooey and you know it."

"I ain't got a clue what you're talkin' 'bout..."

He yelped when he was suddenly smacked in the back of the head. "Jedediah, if there's something you gotta tell, you better-"

"There's nothing, Shannon!"

"...Swear on granddaddy's grave?"

"I swear!"

Shannon sighed and took one more drag of her cigarette before snuffing it out in the glass ashtray on the coffee table.

"All right, I believe you. But if anything _does_ happen-"

"I know, I know; tell you before anyone else."

The young woman grinned and nodded her head. "It's good to see you're finally catching on, baby brother."

"I ain't no baby!" Shannon quickly walked down the hall, laughing as Jed continued to shout. "You're the baby, Shannon!"

"Whatever makes ya feel better! Oh, and remember what Mama said!"

Jed huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He would go outside when he wanted to...

* * *

Looking back now, Jed realized that going outside wasn't the brightest idea.

Not even five minutes after Shannon left the room, Jed grabbed his coat off of the coat rack and ran out the front door. It took longer to get to the barn, but it was worth it if it meant not getting caught. Yes, he was a grown man, but his mother could be scarier than the devil and make someone as nervous as a sinner sitting in church.

Jed grunted as the wind swirled around him and blew his hair in his face. But he continued walking, determined to protect the animals from the natural forces that were beating down on them.

"Goddamn!" He yelped as a large piece of wood, most likely from a fence, blew past him, missing him by a mere inch. But still, he continued on towards the barn.

By the time he got there, the horses were kicking up a storm and the cattle were going nuts out in the field.

Somehow, one of the horses had managed to get out of its stall and was running around in circles in the middle of the barn. When it spotted Jed, it took off towards him, ready to trample him.

Jed raised his hands and tried to calm the large animal. "Hey, easy now! Calm down right now before I have Mama turn you into next week's supper!"

The horse rose up on its hind legs before calming down and becoming quiet.

Jed slowly reached out and scratched behind one of the horse's large ears, grinning when it whinnied and nudged his hand. "All right, back to the stall with you now."

He slowly lead the horse back to its stall and looked at the name tag. He barked a laugh. "Nigel! I shoulda known it was you!"

Nigel was Michael's horse and was always the one causing trouble in the stables, whether it was by starting fights with Kline, Shannon's horse, or kicking his stall door off its hinges. Jed always made the joke, "Like owner, like horse." when Michael came to the stables and saw what trouble his horse was causing.

After checking that all of the stalls were secure, Jed went to the very end of the row where his horse Amos was. He unlatched the door and led Amos out, quickly saddling him up and hopping on his back. He couldn't just run the cattle in the barn, could he? Hell no.

Jed snapped the reins and Amos trotted out of the barn and into the field where the cows were roaming and flipping shit over the weather.

Ready for the worst, Jed rode towards the cows and began to herd them together.

_Just a bit further..._ Jed thought as they came closer to the back entrance of the barn. But just as they were about to run in, they split up again and Jed let out a loud shout of anger.

He was about to round them up again, but he stopped when he heard another shout over the wind.

"What the hell do you mean!? This is bullshit!"

Jed looked up and saw a familiar man standing at the side of the road, a duffel bag on his shoulder and an intense glare on his face as the taxi pulled away.

With a sudden surge of energy, Jed herded the cattle together once again and made sure that not a single one was out of place as he angrily ushered them into the barn, shouting the entire time. He slammed both doors shut as he rode through again before heading towards the road.

He let this man slip from his mind once; he wasn't about to let it happen again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't tell, I don't know spit about horses :| Also, I'm going to be going on hiatus for a while. I'm not sure how long it's going to be, but I really need to get my grades up and I also have a lot of family stuff going on so again, I'm not sure how long this is going to last and I'm not sure when I'm gonna pick back up on this. :|


End file.
